MMA News

Cole Shelton - November 27, 2018

Fernie Garcia recently was apart of history. The 26-year-old fought on the first ever Golden Boy MMA fight card in which he fought on the undercard. Ultimately, Garcia impressed enough that when Golden Boy does their next MMA event, Garcia will be fighting on it. However, before his fight with Golden Boy MMA, Garcia was 4-0 as a professional and was looking to fight in a bigger promotion. That is when Golden Boy reached out and it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. As a prospect, fighting in front of thousands of fans, and fighting on a big card like this was important to Garcia.

Drake Riggs - November 27, 2018

Three separate opponents, three-fight cancellations. That’s not exactly the type of year that any fighter wants to have. Let alone a champion of Max Holloway’s caliber. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how his 2018 played out so far. Holloway’s first fight cancellation came early for March’s UFC 222 event which saw him set to take on Frankie Edgar. However, a leg injury would end up forcing Holloway out of the bout.

Drake Riggs - November 27, 2018

Despite recently going through a tougher personal battle than any she could have in the Octagon, UFC flyweight prospect Rachael Ostovich will remain set to fight at UFC Brooklyn on January 19. Last week, Ostovich was involved in an altercation with her husband and fellow MMA fighter, Arnold Berdon that resulted in her being attacked and suffering what was reported as a broken orbital bone among other injuries.

Cole Shelton - November 27, 2018

Last Saturday night, Oscar De La Hoya promoted his first-ever MMA event under the Golden Boy MMA banner. In the weeks leading up to this MMA card, which was headlined by a trilogy fight between UFC Hall of Famers Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, there was plenty of reason to believe it was a one-off for De La Hoya. Yet according to Fernie Garcia, who fought on the undercard of the event, this is not the case. “I have heard that they are [going to do more MMA],” Garcia told BJPENN.com of Golden Boy MMA. “I have heard that the plan was for two events. So they are going to have two events. From what I know, they are going to have another event for sure.”

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

There’s recently been reason to believe that the end is near for the UFC flyweight division. First, the promotion traded the former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren. Then, it cut ties with a number of talented flyweight fighters — some of whom claimed to have heard that the division is being decommissioned. UFC President Dana White, however, has remained fairly tight-lipped about the division’s future. Speaking on the latest episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Dana White shared his latest update on the division — though it didn’t exactly clear things up.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow earlier this week, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would prefer a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather to an MMA bout with Tony Ferguson for his next fight. “For legacy and in the sense of the money aspect, and in a sporting sense, I think the Mayweather fight is much more interesting,” Nurmagomedov said, adding that there’s not much sense in discussing his next fight until he’s sorted out his situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “The athletics commission needs to finish up first and then we’ll talk.”

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

File UFC President Dana White into the group of people who seemed to strongly disapprove of last weekend’s Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell rematch. Speaking on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, the UFC boss unleashed a virulent tirade against the bout’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya, Tito Ortiz, and the California State Athletic Commission for allowing this fight to happen.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

After losing his first two mixed martial arts bouts — first a submission defeat to Mickey Gall, then a submission setback against Mike Jackson — former pro wrestling star CM Punk now finds himself in a tough situation. Although he undeniably possesses the heart required to compete as a professional fighter, he is simply at a technical deficit when compared to most of his potential opponents. Except, say, somebody like Logan Paul. Logan Paul, a famous YouTuber, recently competed in a celebrity boxing match opposite fellow YouTube star KSI. After this bout, Paul discussed a potential move to the UFC, and given his inexperience, was mentioned as a potential opponent for CM Punk. Even UFC color commentator Joe Rogan discussed the possibility.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 27, 2018

One mistake. That’s all it took to derail Ev Ting’s hopes for a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title. “I should have kept moving,” reflected Malaysia’s Ting, who was submitted by Japan’s Shinya Aoki inside the first round at ONE: Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok, Thailand in October. “I gave him way too much time and respect. He faked a few times and one mistake was all it took for him to put me to sleep.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

Last Saturday night, in the headlining bout of the first MMA card promoted by Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, former UFC light heavyweight champs Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz stepped into the cage for a third time. Unlike the pair’s first two bouts, Ortiz won this fight, putting Liddell down with a crackling first-round punch. While this Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell trilogy fight generated quite a bit of buzz in the combat sports bubble, not all of it was positive. Many fans felt the 48-year-old Chuck Liddell should not have been allowed to fight again, and after Liddell’s rather brutal knockout loss to Ortiz, these criticisms grew even louder.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of the first mixed martial arts card promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz stepped into the cage with his arch rival Chuck Liddell for a third time. In this third fight, Ortiz finally got the victory over Liddell he’d been seeking, melting “The Iceman” with a first-round heater. Unfortunately, Ortiz’s long-awaited win over Chuck Liddell has been somewhat marred by controversy, as some members of the MMA community feel that the 48-year-old Chuck Liddell, who had not fought since a string of knockout losses initially forced his retirement eight years ago, should not have been anywhere near another fight.

Cole Shelton - November 26, 2018

Alex Volkanovski is a streaking featherweight who is currently riding a lofty 15-fight winning streak. Even with that, the Australian is only ranked 10th in the featherweight division. However, that can all change on Dec. 29 at UFC 232, where Volkanovski will have his toughest test to date when he takes on Chad Mendes. Mendes is a two-time title challenger and is currently ranked fifth in the division. Put all of that together and it is a huge fight for Volkanovski.

Drake Riggs - November 26, 2018

There have been plenty of issues over the years regarding the technical aspects of how the UFC operates. One of which that has never been addressed, however, is the glove style. When it comes to being an issue, the main reason that the UFC gloves have been problematic in their existence is that of the fact that they don’t really prevent any chance of eye poking. Some may even say that they are helping the chance of it, especially when compared to some other organization’s gloves.

Drake Riggs - November 26, 2018

Even though things have simmered down for Derrick Lewis after UFC 229…the heavyweight division is on all sorts of fire right now. This past Saturday in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to China for UFC Beijing, “The Demolitions Man” Alistair Overeem rebounded in a big way as he put a first-round beatdown on the newcomer Sergey Pavlovich.

Drake Riggs - November 26, 2018

There has been plenty of speculation regarding what will be next for the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after his big title defending victory against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. Well, the boss has given us some clarity. Since the conclusion of the event, we’ve seen boxing matches with Floyd Mayweather get teased and even a report for a bout with Georges St-Pierre being in the works.

Thomas Taylor - November 26, 2018

It’s an exciting time to be an MMA fan. While the UFC remains the biggest promotion on the planet, other promotions such as Bellator MMA and ONE Championship are gaining a real footholds, while new promotions like Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy MMA continue to pop up. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has taken notice of these promotions. Speaking on a recent Fight Companion episode of his popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he gave his take on a number of the UFC’s competitors.

Cole Shelton - November 26, 2018

Jon Jones is arguably one of the greatest fighters of all-time. However, for the former UFC light heavyweight champion, many believe his legacy is tarnished. Jones has been suspended three times with two of them being due to USADA. In which Jones has been stripped of his light heavyweight title twice, and the interim title once. Now, Jones has put all that behind him and will return to fight Alexander Gustafsson for the light heavyweight title at UFC 232 on December 29.

Drake Riggs - November 26, 2018

There are many variables that can and will affect the way that one’s life plays out. And the same goes for when referencing a career in sports, especially one that happens to be in combat sports.